In New TV Ad, Proposes Pay Cut Across the Board for All Members of Congress ELVERSON, Pa – Today, Manan Trivedi is up on air with his first TV ad. An impressive sign of strength for a political newcomer and Washington outsider, the Democratic nominee for Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District beat four-term Congressman Jim Gerlach to the airwaves. The ad introduces voters to Trivedi and his military service as a battalion surgeon during the Iraq War, highlights his understanding of the hardships everyone in the 6th District are facing, and focuses on his unique and notable proposal to cut all congressional pay.
The ad, “Did More,” can be viewed here, and the transcript is below. “When workers in Pennsylvania are losing their jobs and having their pay cut,” Trivedi says in the commercial, “it’s wrong for Congress to be taking pay raises.” The ad features Trivedi walking down the streets of West Reading, talking straight into the camera to explain that, when so many in our community are hurting, those in Washington shouldn’t be taking pay raises. Instead, he states, not only will he cut his own pay, but he will fight for an across-the-board pay cut for all Members of Congress and give that money back to the taxpayers who deserve it. “With so many in our district still unable to find a job or hold on to a reliable paycheck,” Trivedi said, “and with so many others having to tighten their belt to manage with fewer hours or lower pay, it’s wrong for people down in Washington to take pay raises. It is their job to represent the needs of the people who elected them, and instead they are collecting a fat paycheck while not doing nearly enough to get this economy back on track. Between the towering unemployment and skyrocketing debt there has never been a more important time to restore fiscal discipline in Washington, where out-of-control spending has become a way of life.” This would be the first time Congress has cut their own salary in 77 years. Not only will Trivedi push for cutting his own pay and the pay of all members of Congress, but he will work to perpetuate this fiscal discipline by ending automatic pay raises for Congress. The new TV ad, “Did More,” can be viewed here: http://trivediforcongress.com/newsroom/view_news.php?id=32
Transcript MT: As a battalion surgeon treating Marines on the battlefield in Iraq, I learned how to do more with less. It’s high time the folks in Washington did the same thing. We can start by cutting the pay of Members of Congress and using that money to pay down our debt. When workers in Pennsylvania are losing their jobs and having their pay cut, it’s wrong for Congress to be taking pay raises. I’m Manan Trivedi and while I may upset some politicians with my idea to cut their pay, I’m still approving this ad because it’s time we get Washington under control. Manan Trivedi is the Democratic nominee for Congress in Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District. He is a primary care physician, a former Lt. Commander in the U.S. Navy, and an Iraq War veteran from Berks County.